Golfer&#39;s shoe



GOLFER.S sHoE 'Filad March 28, 1946 IN VEN TOR.

.fl lbertffoen flftorney Patented Feb. 25, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE f 2,416,526 r I GOLFERS snort Albert Koeni g, Chicagaill. Application March 28, 1946,'Serial No. 657,666

. 2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in shoes worn by golfers.

important object of my invention is to provide in a shoe to be worn by golfers, a sole which will permit the golfer to assume-a position or stance during play, whereby the center of gravity of the individual golfer, or player, at all times, will be confined within the span of the base line, or foot support, so that the tendency of shifting the Weightof the body, and the center of gravity of the body, will be maintained within the span of the foot support, thus maintaining at all times, the equilibrium of the golfer.

Another object of myinvention is to provide a sole having a fiat bottom with a slightly inclined shank between the thickened heel portion, and

the ball portion thereof, the said sole assuming intimate contactual relation throughout its length with the golf course ground surface upon which the shoes are to be worn and used, the bottom of the sole being equipped with calks, or pegs, for insuring good and substantial ground gripping features, the said pegs being distributed throughout the entire sole portion,-including the shank portion, and the heel portion, in other words, the pegs cover the entire bottom surface of the sole.

A further object of my invention is toprovide a sole, for a golf shoe, which will enable a golfer wearing the said shoes to maintain his equilibrium during driving operations insuring good ground footage and support of the shoe with the ground surface, at the same time making available a sole and shoe structure which is neat in appearance, and economical to manufacture in quantity production.

A further object of my invention is to improve the golfers balance throughout his entire swing, give him a more secure stance, to prevent heel impressions on putting greens, and to eliminate the gathering of mud on shank-of the sole when playing in wet weather.

Other features, objects and advantages inherent in my invention, will become apparent from an examination of the accompanying drawings, bearing further elucidation in the ensuing description, wherein like symbols are used to designate like parts, and in which Fig. 1 is a bottom view of the sole structure comprising my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the sole structure of my invention illustrated in Fig. 1, showing the upper connected thereto, which forms an immaterial part of my invention, and which may be made in any customary manner, selecting for Figs. 5 and 6 are positions of a golfer, before and after driving operations, similar to the illustrations of Figs. 3 and 4, with the exception that in this particular instance, the golfer is wearing shoes equipped with soles according to the teach ings andpractices'to be hereinafter adduced as the advantages to be derived from my invention. Referring to Fig. 1, my-invention is generally designated 1, and consists of a sole having a ballportion 3, a slightly thicker heel portion 9 than the said ball portion 8, and a sloping shank portion It, interconnecting the portions 8 and 9. It is to be noted that the upper is designated H,

and is indicated in phantom, inasmuch as any shape upper may be utilized, depending on the selection of styles and patterns available there for.

The upper forms no material part of my inventio-n, since the attributes of my invention reside solely in the shape, and construction of the sole. It is also to be noted that the bottom portionloff my sole is practically straight, and the greatest portion thereof will engage the ground surface onwhich such a shoe may be worn; The

bottom surface thereof has secured thereto a number of pegs 12, which aredistributed over certain portions of the ball area of the sole, the

heel, as well as the interconnecting shank portion between the heel and the ball area of the sole, thus affording the wearer a good and a firm engagement with the ground surface of a golf course, which is usually soft and adapted to receive the pegs l2, resulting in a surer grip, and footage, to the golfer in his stance preparatory to driving the ball, as well as after the drive has been completed.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, by way of illustration, indicates a golfer l4, his center of gravity assumed to be approximately at the point l5.

In Fig. 3, the said golfer is taking a stance, or position, preparatory to driving, whereas in Fig. 4, the-driveris completed. In Fig. 3, the perpendicular l6 drawn from the center of gravity to the base line or support l3, indicates that the same falls within the span of the extremities of the shoe, namely, the toe I8, and the heel l9. In this particular case as will be noted, when the drive has been'completed, the tendency of the body is to be shifted forward in following through, and the perpendicular drawn from the shifted center of gravity l 5 of Fig, 4, falls Outside of the base line of the shoe, namely, in front of the toe portion 18. This, of course, by the well known principles Of physics, illustrates that the golfer will have to move one foot forward in order to maintain his equilibrium to prevent him from falling over forward. That falling forward or disturbance of the golfers equilibrium prevents him from' ffollowing, through, which isv arequisite in good golfing Jpractice. J I J I 7 However, according to the illustrations ofFigs. 5 and 6, it can be seen, where the'golfer M as indicated in'Fig. 5, his center of gravity at [5, that the perpendicular I1 droppedtherefrom :to the base line 13, indicates that the center of gravity [5 of the golfer [4, has initiaIIyTbeen shifted backwards, so that the perpendicular :line

I! falls closer to the heel I9, than in the former illustration of Fig, 3.

In this case, when the golfer follows through as indicated in 'Fig. 6 --completing his drive, the center of gravity likewise is shifted 'acorresponding distance forward as in the preceding illustration Fig. 4; however, the perpendicular I? in this instance, when dropped, will indicate that the center of gravity I5, is still within the span of the support of the golfer or his 'foot, namely, between the toe' l8, and the heel 19. Therefore, this golfer, or the golfer wearing a shoe made in accordance with the practices and teachings of my invention, willbe able to maintain his equilibrium and followthrough hisdrive, thus making for a better golf play. v I 'Itis also to be noted. by a comparison of Figs. 3,4, 5, and 6 that a golfer equipped with my type of shoes "will availhimself ofa firmer grip of the sole with respect to the "ground support I3, inasmuch as the shank portion of my shoe is also equipped "with pegs f2, and because a shoe equipped with my invention assumes a greater contacting engagement with the ground surface, than the present type of shoe indicated in Figs.

' 3 and 4, where the pegs are confinedsolely to the "heel and the ball area 'of the sole, the arch being ra sed which, incidentally, throws the cente'rof gravity'o'f the golfer too far forward after the body has shifted, in "driving disturbing his "equilibrium. v v

Important features to bestressed, are (a) my type of sole will maintain'thefgolfers weightbala 'nc'ed on his heels rather than'on the ballsof the feet, (12) a 'Inore'secur'estance, ('c')" no'de'fo-rma.

ti'onofftne putting green customarily 'formed *b golf shoes equippedwith heels, and (d) my flat sole prevents mud accumulation usually experi- I enced when walking on wet greens after rainy rinasmuch as the same is susceptible of modifications, and improvements, I hereby reserve the right to all modifications, and improvements,

coming within the scope and spirit of my invent i'o'n, 'as Well as any modifications and improvements that are embraced in the accompanying drawings, and any that may fall Within the purview :of the tforegoing description; my invention to belimited only by the appended claims.

"Having thus described and disclosed my invention, what I claim as novel, and desire to secure by Letters'Patent, is:

1. In a golfers shoe, a fiat bottomedsol'e -com''- prising, a ball portion, a heel portion of slightly 'greaterthickness than the said ball portiongand a shank portion of tapered thickness interconnect'ing the saidb'all portion to the said heel-por tion, and a multiplicity of call: elements secured a't'various points throughout the entire bottom of the 'said sole portion. a

"2. Ina golfers shoe, a flat bottomedsolecomprising, a ball portion, a heel portion of slightly greater thickness than the said ball portiomand a shank portion of tapered thickness intercon nec t'in'g'the'sa'id ball portion to the said heel port'ion, and a multiplicityof 'c'alk'ele'm'ents secured atvariou's points to the said ball, heel andsharik portions.

ALBERT KO ENI'G; f

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file off this patent: I

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

